Jill Upson is a former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Delegate of the

West Virginia House of Delegates The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates. Organization Regular sessions begin with ...

, representing the 65th district, which includes

Jefferson County, West Virginia Jefferson County is located in the Shenandoah Valley in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. It is the easternmost county of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,701. Its county seat is Charles Tow ...

. Upson was the first black Republican woman elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates.

Education

Upson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from

Shepherd University Shepherd University is a public university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the university enrolled 3,159 students in Fall 2020. History Shepherd University began when the county seat of Jefferson ...

Career

In 2012, Upson challenged incumbent Delegate Tiffany Lawrence and lost by four percent. In the 2014 election, Upson defeated Lawrence in a rematch. Upson won the 2014 election 56 to 44 percent.

GOPAC GOPAC is a Republican (GOP) state and local political training organization. Although often thought of as a PAC, or Political Action Committee, it is actually a 527 organization. History GOPAC was founded by Delaware Governor Pierre S. du Pon ...

, the national Republican political action committee, contributed over $20,000 to Upson's 2014 campaign. In 2016, Upson won re-election over Democratic challenger Sammi Brown. In 2018, Upson was defeated by Brown. Since leaving office, Upson has served as the executive director of the West Virginia Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs.

Personal life

She is married to Kelvin Upson, who served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. She has one son and had one daughter.

References

External links

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Jill Upson Facebook page
African-American state legislators in West Virginia African-American women in politics Year of birth missing (living people) Republican Party members of the West Virginia House of Delegates Women state legislators in West Virginia Living people People from Charles Town, West Virginia 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians Shepherd University alumni {{WestVirginia-politician-stub